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founder

1
[foun-der]
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noun

a person who founds or establishes.

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RELATED WORDS

designer, patron, benefactor, creator, builder, author, planner, architect, organizer, inventor, abort, stumble, originator, beginner, generator, constructor, maker, initiator, framer, sprawl

Nearby words

  1. foundation garment,
  2. foundation stone,
  3. foundation subjects,
  4. foundational,
  5. founded,
  6. founder effect,
  7. founder's type,
  8. founderous,
  9. founders' shares,
  10. founding

Origin of founder

1
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at found2, -er1

founder

2
[foun-der]

verb (used without object)

(of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.
to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc.: Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.
to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was lacking.
to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse: His mount foundered on the rocky path.
to become ill from overeating.
Veterinary Pathology. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.

verb (used with object)

to cause to fill with water and sink: Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.
Veterinary Pathology. to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.

noun

Veterinary Pathology. laminitis.

Origin of founder

2
1300–50; Middle English foundren < Middle French fondrer to plunge to the bottom, submerge < Vulgar Latin *fundorāre, derivative of *fundor-, taken as stem of Latin fundus bottom
Related formsun·foun·dered, adjectiveun·foun·der·ing, adjective

founder

3
[foun-der]

noun

a person who founds or casts metal, glass, etc.

Origin of founder

3
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at found3, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for founder

British Dictionary definitions for founder

founder

1

noun

a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc

Word Origin for founder

C14: see found ²

verb (intr)

(of a ship) to sink
to break down or failthe project foundered
to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
to fall in or give way; collapse
(of a horse) to stumble or go lame
archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating

noun

vet science another name for laminitis

Word Origin for founder

C13: from Old French fondrer to submerge, from Latin fundus bottom; see found ²

usage

Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering)

noun

  1. a person who makes metal castings
  2. (in combination)an iron founder

Word Origin for founder

C15: see found ³
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for founder
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for founder

founder

[foun′dər]

v.

To stumble, especially to stumble and go lame. Used of horses.
To become ill from overeating. Used of livestock.
To be afflicted with laminitis. Used of horses.

n.

laminitis
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.